First things first....a little pre-race chit chat the evening before the race with the folks at Cycling Dirt...
The morning of the race was spent lining up the nutrition for the day.....lots of gels...12 to be exact.
What can I say...the Pro Men's race with stacked with some of the top xc, 50 mile, 100 mile, and 24 hour racers from around the USA. Only thing you can do is ride your race and hope for the best.
I felt good my first lap. I rode my pace...and followed my race plan perfectly. It didn't take long on the first lap for the groups to form for the day. Not even 1/2 way up the opening climb and the Pro Men's field was shattered. I would fine myself changing positions with a lot of the same people all day.
By the time the day was over, I finished 22nd overall in the Pro Men's race. The number placing is less than stellar....but I did turn a PR for this race for my finishing time. Finishing in 4 hrs and 23 minutes, this was over 20 minutes faster than any other attempt at this race. So, I call it a personal success. Those that beat me just had better fitness....simple as that. As I sit here and type this, I wish I went a bit harder. I did some conserving at times in hopes of not digging a huge trench for the Breck-Epic Stage Race. Oh well.
Chatting with Sonya and Yuki post race. HUGE thank you to Yuki for handing off feeds all day. Sonya took 12th in the Pro Women's race...even after stopping to help a friend with a flat tire.
Here is the HR and elevation data from the event....recorded by the Suunto T6.